Page 3 of SEAL's Patience
Impressive. Quinn knew Tony kept in prime condition and ran through PT with them as much as possible. But he could have screwed his career.
“Command is in the dark?”
“Oh yeah. Although, from what Providence said, I don’t think he was concerned about his career.”
Quinn nodded. It didn’t surprise him. Tony had told him a few weeks ago he needed to decide his next steps now that his twenty were up. He’d help anyone in trouble, but he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from helping trafficked women and kids. There would have been no stopping him, even if he hadn’t fallen hard for Providence.
“You’re all lucky nothing went sideways. It could have been a Murphy,” Quinn said.
“What’s a Murphy?” Harmony asked.
Quinn’s lips curved up in his first genuine smile of the night. She was the most innocent woman he’d ever met, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t smart. Her father had abused her for years, but she’d gotten away from him, and Ry made sure she stayed safe.
“A Murphy is something goes wrong, and at the worst times,” Quinn explained.
Doc chuckled. “Like all our missions.”
Tempest smirked. “Yeah, we know. But Tony’s former teammates were amazing. None of us really did anything except help Providence smuggle a phone into the women at the nail salon. The rest was on Providence and Tony.”
Josh pulled Tempest closer and kissed her. “You’re fucking lucky it’s all you did. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d come home to find you injured or worse.”
Tempest huffed. “I can handle myself.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean I want you to.” Josh shrugged.
Quinn envied the men their relationships. Hell, Tony had Providence now, too. It wasn’t something he’d ever have and had made peace with it years ago. A relationship couldn’t be in his future. He’d decided it long ago, prior to joining the Navy. It was another reason he needed to keep his distance from Patience. She deserved more; she deserved everything. And even if he could, he’d never be the one to give it to her.
An hour later and Quinn’s skin prickled with the need to escape from the bar. It was new. He’d never reacted to his team like this before. Hell, he’d never totally lost it on a mission before, either. Blowback from the mission was the only explanation. His old therapist would have told him to talk it out, but he wasn’t ready, would never be ready, to share that part of his past. A monster, and out of control.
For years, he’d kept his past locked away, buried in a box so far back in his psyche he never expected to see it again. Yet, all it took was one mission to pry open the lock and expose his battered and bleeding memories. Fuck. Maybe he needed a vacation. Time alone where he could let out the beast in private, far away from everyone else.
“Hey, you okay, Quinn?” Josh said low enough no one else would hear.
He turned toward his friend, the concern on his face shook Quinn out of his reverie. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You know, any of us would have done the same thing. You just got to that mother fucker first. We all wanted a piece of him.”
Quinn nodded, but he didn’t believe it. He’d torn the kidnapper apart, literally pulled his arms out of his socket and broken both of his hands, and probably every other bone in his body, before shooting him between the eyes. Who does that? Not a sane person, that’s for sure.
“I don’t want to discuss it, especially not here. If you or the others have questions, we’ll talk about it after PT on Monday.”
“Sure, boss. But I’m here if you need me, any of us are. We’ll always have your six, no matter what,” Josh said.
Theno matter whatwas the part Quinn didn’t like. They shouldn’t have to worry he’d go off the rails, and they’d need to be backup for him. He lifted his mug to take another drink, but it was empty.
“I’ll get that for you,” Patience said as she appeared by his side like magic. Not that he wanted her there, but her soft scent soothed his beast. His actions today reiterated the need to stay away from the innocent woman. He knew she was in her late twenties, ten years younger than him, but light years of experience. There was no world where he’d be good for her.
“Thanks.”
“It’s my job,” she said with a grin. “Do you need anything else? Did you change your mind about ordering anything to eat?”
“Not tonight. I’ll be heading home soon. Just please bring the bill for the table. I’ll take care of it before I go.” Quinn refused to make eye-contact with her. He didn’t want to see the disappointment in her gaze, even though he knew it was there.
They’d been doing this dance for a few months. Her attempt to get closer, and his pushing her away. Patience needed to understand it wouldn’t change. She had her whole life ahead of her, and he just waited for the mission that would finally take out his sorry ass. She’d get the hint, eventually.
CHAPTER 2
PATIENCE
